[17] And God heard the voice
of the lad; and the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven, and said unto
her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of
the lad where he is. [18] Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in
thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. [19] And God opened
her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle
with water, and gave the lad drink. [20] And God was with the lad;
and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. [21]
And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife
out of the land of Egypt. [22] And it came to pass at that time,
that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham,
saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: [23] Now therefore
swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor
with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that
I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou
hast sojourned. [24] And Abraham said, I will swear. [25]
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's
servants had violently taken away. [26] And Abimelech said, I wot
not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard
I of it, but to day. [27] And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave
them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. [28] And
Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. [29] And
Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou
hast set by themselves? [30] And he said, For these seven ewe lambs
shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I
have digged this well.
God heard the voice of the lad - We read not of a word
be said; but his sighs and groans, cried loud in the ears of the God of
mercy. An angel was sent to comfort Hagar, who assures her, God has heard
the voice of the lad where he is - Though he be in the wilderness; for
wherever we are, there is a way open heavenwards; therefore lift up the
lad, and hold him in thy hand - God's readiness to help us when we are
in trouble must not slacken, but quicken our endeavours to help ourselves.
He repeats the promise concerning her son, that he should be a great nation,
as a reason why she should bestir herself to help him.
[31] Wherefore he called that
place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them. [32] Thus
they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol
the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
Beer - sheba - That is, the well of the oath, in remembrance
of the covenant that they sware to, that they might be ever mindful of
it.
[33] And Abraham planted a grove
in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting
God. [34] And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
And Abraham planted a grove - For a shade to his tent,
or perhaps an orchard of fruit trees; and there, though we cannot say he
settled, for God would have him while he lived to be a stranger and a pilgrim,
yet he sojourned many days. And called there on the name of the Lord -
Probably in the grove he planted, which was his oratory, or house of prayer:
he kept up publick worship, to which probably his neighbours resorted,
and joined with him. Men should not only retain their goodness wherever
they go, but do all they can to propagate it, and make others good. The
everlasting God - Though God had made himself known to Abraham as his God
in particular; yet he forgets not to give glory to him as the Lord of all,
the everlasting God, who was before all worlds, and will be when time and
days shall be no more.
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